Massive increases in the tax on alcohol have recently been mooted as a way to stem the binge-drinking culture. Yet how does the government go about this without unfairly penalising the 90 percent of drinkers who don’t consume alcohol to excess? Today, George Osborne offers a solution. His idea is to only increase the tax on those drinks which are associated with binge-drinking. So alco-pops and cider
Yesterday, Matthew agreed with Daniel Finkelstein that the Tories should hold back a little – and spend more time reassuring the electorate – before cutting taxes wholesale. As he put it: “As tiresome as it may sometimes be, the essence of modernisation always boils down to reassurance of one kind of another: and those who
Just elaborating on my post of last night, here are the full numbers for yesterday’s Commons vote on the the Tory proposal for a referendum: 311 MPs opposed the proposal 248 MPs supported the proposal 29 Labour MPs supported the proposal 308 Labour MPs opposed the proposal 14 Labour MPs did not vote 186 Conservative
For the past few weeks, CoffeeHouse has been asking its readers to shout out about Gordon Brown’s lies – or Brownies, as we call them. The response has been superb. Congrats to CoffeeHouser James, for providing an almost comprehensive list: “As for GB’s lies…where to begin: The Constitution/treaty. The state of the economy when he
As expected, the Tory proposal for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has been defeated in the Commons. 248 MPs voted in favour, with 311 voting against. The Treaty should now pass through the Commons unscathed. It’s over to the Lords. The burning question is of how much damage has been done to the Nick
Iain Martin’s already highlighted it over at Three Line Whip today. But I thought CoffeeHousers would also enjoy this topical clip of Brown wrapping his clunking fist around a pen, and signing the Lisbon Treaty last November:
As Guido reports, Nick Clegg has accepted the first Lib Dem front-bencher resignation over Europe. No news of who it is, though. How many more will follow? UPDATE: According to CoffeeHouser, Oscar Miller, Andrew Neil says differently: “According to Andrew Neil the resignation story put about by Crick is “pants” i.e. not true…” Stay tuned.
I briefly mentioned the exchange between David Miliband and William Hague on the Today Programme earlier, although a little detail deserves its own post. The to-and-fro discussion went as expected – Hague arguing well for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and Miliband arguing (quite) well against it. However, when James Naughtie pressed Miliband on whether the Government are
The big Parliamentary event of the day is undoubtedly the vote on whether to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The outcome’s expected at about 1900 this evening. It should mark another chapter in Nick Clegg’s turbulent start as Lib Dem leader. His call for an in-or-out referendum was trampled on yesterday – 68
Northern Rock is £110 billion of public debt. An amount which “blows a hole” in the Treasury’s “sustainable investment rule” – that the debt-GDP ratio shouldn’t go higher than 40 percent. It’s simple – now let’s look forward to Alistair Darling squirming as he delivers next week’s Budget. The only problem is that the Government looks
Rachel Sylvester writes a typically excellent article in today’s Telegraph, charting Brown’s apparent transformation into a fervid Blairite. I’m still not convinced that the change is anything more than rhetorical. But regardless of Brown’s sincerity, he’ll face a big challenge to make people forget his time as a “roadblock to reform”. As Sylvester puts it: “But what if [Brown’s pro-reform
Apparently, the Government’s 24-hour drinking laws have been a success. So much so, in fact, that a review will today mark them a solid 7-out-of-10 for delivering “excellent” results in many areas. Why, then, do the statistics paint a different picture? In the 12 police forces that keep the relevant records, alcohol-related anti-social behaviour has risen by around 46 percent since the new
As James Kirkup reports over at Three Line Whip, Nick Clegg’s still getting himself into a “pickle” over Europe. Here are the three key points which came out of his media briefing earlier today: “Yes, [Clegg]’s put his MPs on a three line whip not to vote at all when the Commons decides on a
So, Putin’s protégé Dmitry Medvedev scored an overwhelming – and very much expected – victory in the Russian Presidential elections. Was it a fair result? It seems unlikely. The chairman of a European delegation sent to observe the contest has already said that: “The results of the presidential elections … are a reflection of the
With Israeli troops conducting operations in Gaza over the weekend, it’s well worth reading (or re-reading) Lorna Fitzsimons’ prescient article for the Spectator. Fitzsimons concludes her piece as follows: “What is plain is that the past seven years of attacks — and the dramatic increase in the past few months — have been unbearable for so many Israelis.
I Want a Referendum have released the results to the referenda they conducted in ten marginal constituencies. The numbers say it all. 150,000 people registered their votes. 88 percent of them want a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. And 89 percent don’t think the Treaty should be approved by Parliament. There can be no clearer
Martin Ivens writes a punchy article in today’s Sunday Times, in which he castigates both the Government for wrecking the NHS and the Tories for not yet providing an alternative approach: “Yes, nothing very much is happening any time soon in the good old NHS. People are still dying from cancer in greater numbers than in
Gordon Brown’s speech to the Labour Party Spring Conference was hardly inspiring stuff. In fact, Rosa Prince tells you all you need to know over at Three Line Whip: “Theme: Elitist Tories want cuts in public services and a referendum on the past (i.e. Europe) – Labour is delivering on opportunity for all.” Here – for intrepid readers
Today’s YouGov / Telegraph poll places the Tories on 40 percent (down 1 on last month); Labour on 33 percent (unchanged); and the Lib Dems on 16 percent (unchanged). Like most other recent polls, it’s something of a mixed bag for the Tories. As well as their healthy(ish) overall lead, they’re also ahead on the economy
Iain Dale flags up a letter in today’s Telegraph written by 27 of the 2005 intake of Tory MPs. They’re asking for the sanctions that MPs face to be tightened, and even suggest the introduction of US-style recall mechanisms: “…we do think that consideration should be given to creating a recall mechanism, similar to that
